


Countdown

by carcinoGodhead



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, meteor crew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-02-07 08:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1892340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carcinoGodhead/pseuds/carcinoGodhead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An inspection of the meteor crew as they enter the new universe and before they crash-land on LOMAX.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Countdown

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on an 11-hour airplane ride out of boredom. Really shippy and fluffy, which is usually not my taste but here it is anyway.

Two hours, forty-five minutes.

You reach for Kanaya's comforting hand almost instinctively, although there is nothing in your evolutional process that conforms to this gesture. Your fingers curl around hers anyway, giving her luminescent palms a brief squeeze before letting go and turning around to face Terezi. You'd dragged her half-asleep from her respiteblock and up to the observatory deck of the meteor, along with everyone else, but she still managed to be faygo-dazzled and slightly lucid. Even though it hurts you to admit it, even to yourself, you aren't quite brave enough to face her again just yet about her problem. The last time you did only ended up with both of you in an ear-shattering argument. She yawns and rubs her hands slowly though her messy hair, ratty dragon cosplay hanging determinedly onto her shoulders by a few sticky straps of red fabric. You cringe at the thought of Jack, the ever looming threat. She isn't ready to face him. Hell, none of you are. But you're going to meet John and Jade and Davesprite and all those other ridiculous consorts of their lands if it kills you, which it probably will.

Terezi stares back at you groggily, a fact that still makes you jump a little, even after the time that you had on the meteor to get accustomed to her new eyeballs. She manages a tiny, forced smile, and you can see that it took effort to drag herself all the way up here. Kanaya coughs to catch your attention to the approaching universe. You turn to see it and breathe in sharply. You don't know what you were expecting, but now, seeing the new universe for the first time, it's almost enough to make you start bawling like a wriggler. This, this was it! This was the "victory" that your team never scored. This universe was healthy, clean, new. It takes your breath away to see the glittering nebulae of stars and constellations hanging in the sky that seems oddly familiar to you. You can't help smiling, and Kanaya manages to catch it before you return to your trademark scowl. But it's only for old time's sake, if you can even call it that. Lalonde would probably do a psychoanalysis on each of your expressions and have them sorted into a huge binder, if she wasn't inebriated for half the trip. Speaking of Lalonde, you look around and see it's only the three of you on the deck at the moment. You want to ask Kanaya where she is, but something in her grim expression holds you back. She's flaunting her rainbow drinker powers carelessly today, glowing bright enough that if you felt the poetic inclination, you'd say she rivaled a star.

For the worse or the better, you are saved from making more florid analogies by the prompt arrival of Lalonde and Strider. A part of you is momentarily shocked, but then your mind accepts as an almost certainty that Rose is draped languidly over Strider's shoulders, head probably splitting in two from her soporific hangover and god tier outfit rumpled and dirty. Kanaya looks both of them over before taking Rose and sitting her down next to her on the edge of the meteor. They really are a perfect match, and you should know, as the the self-proclaimed romance expert on this meteor. In a delightful twist of Striderian irony, your own quadrants are empty, with not even a moirail anymore to show for all your efforts. Who knows or cares where that bastard is. He can stay in the vents forever, and you'd probably prefer it that way, even.

Two hours.

You look over at Strider, whose internal clock probably runs on actual gears and springs for all it's deadly accuracy. He's probably thinking the same thing you are, but he's not showing half his excitement. Terezi isn't even awake enough to tease him about his blatant refusal to view the new universe without his trademark douchebag sunglasses, so it's up to you to wrestle him for them, finally managing to pull them off and direct his ruby-red eyes at the swirling new galaxies and endless planets. Red eyes, just like yours. The novelty and original shock have long since worn off, but you can say you now know why Terezi always wanted to lick the stoic expression off his face so much, disregarding those flashy cherry-red god tier pajamas. You envy him, you envy Dave Strider and how he can sit perfectly still and wait for another goddamn hour and forty-five minutes. If you didn't know him better, you'd say he wasn't excited at all. Just like you wanted to pretend you were. But you can make him laugh, revert him back to the huge dork you know he really is, and you hold that small almost-honor above his head. You've laughed together and worked together for three years, but that doesn't make you any less nervous.

You know he'd be the one who'd stay. Bros for life or something, to quote his exact words. And yet you still fear that he'll drift apart like Terezi or Gamzee, and you wouldn't even have him anymore to remember and maybe even laugh over all the dumb experiences you've had together.

One hour.

Kanaya clutches Rose tightly, and you can tell that Rose is going to be sick sometime very soon. You scoot away as quick as possible, closer to where Strider and Terezi are chatting. Ever since Dave found out about Gamzee, they've still been friends, but it soon became needlessly rocky and cold. Terezi made it awkward, responding ashamedly to Dave's usual banter and sometimes simply leaving the room when he or even you walked in. Somehow Strider's repartee made it worse, and after a while all his bullshit metaphors fell away to show how his heart had been damaged. Dave Strider, heartbroken. Not something you'd expected to see in these three years.

Thirty minutes.

The clock is on the wire, and Dave's strung as tightly as the string itself. Rose rights herself on wobbly feet and issues a short, pained apology before stumbling to the floor again. Kanaya catches her, and Rose tentatively moves closer before they're lightly kissing each other's cheeks. Terezi laughs a bit at Dave's pretense of annoyance, but they both know it's great, if not a bit bittersweet, to see Rose and Kanaya happy in each other's company.

Fifteen minutes, and you're certain you're going to take it alone and be ricocheted through the new universe with no one to hold your hand.

Ten minutes, and Strider's walking towards you while Terezi moves towards the now peacefully relaxing Rose and Kanaya.

Five minutes, and it's taken you all of ten seconds to realize he's holding your hand. It's a good, solid, warm feeling, but you can't figure out how he knew that this was what you needed. You don't say anything or even look at each other, just squeeze his hand back.

One minute and the meteor is almost there, so close that even you can taste the colors of the planets and stars. This is when you finally look at each other, and acknowledge that both of you are going to land on the planet, whichever one it is, together. His shades are off for a few seconds, and it's nice to see that years of pre-shielded eyes makes him pretty terrible at disguising his inner feelings. He slides the shades back in place but shuffles his feet closer to yours in compromise. Ten seconds and you're kissing the insufferable prick, light enough to be quick but hard enough to make sure he doesn't forget it as you plummet to earth together.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

 

He's kissed you back. 


End file.
